The Creative District

Connect • Educate • Advocate • Foster • Celebrate • Grow

What does our Creative District do? It is designed to serve as a hub of creative economic activity, thereby enhancing the Downtown Fort Collins area as a desirable place to live, visit, conduct business, and develop economic activity.

The Creative District

The Downtown Fort Collins Creative District is a Certified District in the Colorado Creative Industries Creative District Program. It acts as a resource for creative and artist information, collaboration, industry representation and advocacy. The Creative District also reports on arts and cultural economic impacts, and is involved in planning efforts and further goals for facilities, live-work spaces and infrastructure for creative industry.

Our Mission

The Downtown Fort Collins Creative District will connect, advocate, and celebrate our vital Downtown Fort Collins creative sector for the long-term benefit of the community.

Our Vision

The Downtown Fort Collins Creative District will act as steward for Downtown Fort Collins’ creative culture and businesses to ensure that creativity continues to add vital character, a distinct lifestyle, and positive economic impact creating a nationally attractive, sustainable, dynamic environment and experience for everyone for the next century.

Mural at New Belgium Brewing

HOME TO CREATIVITY

Proudly one of the most recognized downtowns in the nation, Downtown Fort Collins is home to a successful creative and innovative culture. Set in the picturesque Fort Collins Old Town historic area, the Creative District contains a bustling pedestrian center and historic buildings housing hundreds of shops, boutiques, restaurants, theatres, music venues, museums, performance centers, and art galleries.

The nationally acclaimed revitalized business area is surrounded by historic residential areas, award-winning breweries, and colorful public art. This urban district is interconnected with picturesque pedestrian alleys and flower-lined sidewalks and is easily accessible by comprehensive bicycle paths.

HOME TO MUSIC

Events and festivals are a regular occurrence in the Creative District, including the two largest music festivals celebrating Colorado music: Fort Collins Music eXperiment (FoCoMX) and Bohemian Nights at NewWestFest. The Colorado Brewers’ Festival, celebrating a quarter century of the Colorado beer industry and New Belgium Brewing’s original Tour De Fat bicycle-powered parade and festival also take place downtown.

HOME TO PUBLIC ART

Public art can be seen and experienced at every corner with Pianos About Town, the city’s transformer box and paver art programs, and many murals both modern and historic on downtown buildings. All of this, plus hundreds of creative businesses and entrepreneurs make the Downtown Fort Collins Creative District a wildly attractive destination for visitors, residents, collectors and artists!

“Creative energy is one of Downtown Fort Collins’ most abundant natural resources and we spend it wisely!”